Grocott's Mail
Wishing you all a peaceful and restful festive season Sininqwenelela iiholide zokuphela konyaka ezimyoli nezinoxolo
Grocott’s Mail displays the FAIR stamp of the Press Council of South Africa indicating our commitment to adhere to the Code of Ethics for print and online media which prescribes that our reportage is truthful, accurate and fair. Should you wish to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
We can all help end gendered violence – here’s how to start
With online platforms increasingly becoming spaces where harassment, cyberstalking, image-based abuse, and targeted intimidation occur, the national theme works towards awareness, stronger protection, and better support for survivors. Digital violence...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Campaign to stop ‘pens down’ parties
In response to the growing dangers associated with end-of-year “Pens down” parties, the Eastern Cape Liquor Board (ECLB) has launched a province-wide Anti-Pens Down Campaign aimed at curbing the culture of alcohol-fueled celebrations among learners...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Festival fates in the air
Grocott’s Mail displays the FAIR stamp of the Press Council of South Africa indicating our commitment to adhere to the Code of Ethics for print and online media which prescribes that our reportage is truthful, accurate and fair. Should you wish to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Safe house financial irregularities provoke investigation and a new board
The Rape Survivors Support Group Safe House Programme is under scrutiny following revelations of significant financial irregularities, with conflicting reports identifying between R39 920 and R63 000 in questionable expenditure from government funds...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Parties in campaign mode for the Ward 10 by-election
Campaigning for the upcoming Ward 10 by-election is underway earnestly in Makhanda as political parties seek to fill the position left vacant after the passing of ANC councillor Zodwa Cetu last month. Grocott’s Mail understands the by-election is...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Infrastructure director ‘faced death threats’
Makana Engineering and Infrastructural Services director Bavuyise Tshitshi, who resigned last week, just three months into the job, was set up for failure and faced death threats. This is according to a reliable source in the Makana council. “Within...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Opposition MCF ‘sets the record straight’
The Makana Citizens Front (MCF) this week clarified a number of controversial developments within Makana Municipality, including the recent council resolution to pay R2.2m for a water pump. The MCF held a media briefing at the Graham Hotel on Monday...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Cultures come together
Mandibulele Nqoshana at the Rhodes University Heritage Day parade, page 21. Photo:
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Councillors vote for R2.2m to secure the awol pump
The Makana Council has approved the payment of R2.2 million from its own funds to Donnlee Pump Tech for the supply and commissioning of a pump set for the Howieson's Poort Pump Station. This after years of delays and alleged failures by the original...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
PSAM’s bold proposal on local municipalities
A collective of civil society organisations, including the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) and Kagiso Trust, has submitted a bold proposal to the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), calling for sweeping...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Makhanda land feud intensifies
Violent scenes played out in Makhanda as the land dispute between the Makana Municipality and a group of residents escalated last weekend. In the chaos that saw police firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, certain municipal buildings were...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Aesthetics committee is revived
Makhanda is a city rich in history and architectural heritage. The city has around 70 ‘monuments' protected by provincial oversight. But its unique character has been eroded over the past decade due to the collapse of the vital municipal aesthetics...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Celebrate your team with us
Do you want to celebrate the phenomenal, hardworking women who work in your establishment and make it a special place in our community for our special Women’s Day edition this month? Then reach out to us at [email protected] for more details.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Celebrate your team with us
Do you want to celebrate the phenomenal, hardworking women who work in your establishment and make it a special place in our community for our special Women’s Day edition next month? Then reach out to us at [email protected] for more details.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Making wise decisions
With Ulwaluko season concluding, the Makana Municipality marks yet another successful season of the customary male initiation practice. The municipality and other organisations involved continue to support the notion of upholding the safety of...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Well that was fun...
Grocott’s Mail displays the FAIR stamp of the Press Council of South Africa indicating our commitment to adhere to the Code of Ethics for print and online media which prescribes that our reportage is truthful, accurate and fair. Should you wish to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EDITORIAL
After R400 million spent and a decade of delays, Makhandans face another crushing blow: we must wait until 2027 for the promised 20 megalitres of water per day from James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works. This isn’t just about bureaucratic inefficiency...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Seven days and counting...
No water in the taps, but precious water gushing down the streets
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Delayed funding won’t stop our Festival
The National Arts Festival countdown has begun. Artists are nearing the final stage of their rehearsals, organisations are confirming partnerships and funding applications, and audiences are sitting at the edge of their seats booking tickets from the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
City’s roaming animal crisis
Despite years of promises and public consultations, hundreds of cows, donkeys and goats continue to roam Makhanda’s streets, posing a threat to motorists, the natural environment, residents’ health and the animals themselves. Underlying the problem is...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
High-level team to ‘take charge’ in Makana
Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Dr Namane Masemola, has vowed to assemble a high-powered, inter-departmental team of engineers and financial experts to take over responsibility for the management of Makana's...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Gagayi will not be burnt out
The house that served as a lifeline for many schoolchildren in the eThembeni community is now in ashes. Limise Gagayi, founder of the beloved Meal After School initiative, lost her home on Monday in a devastating fire that has shaken the eThembeni and...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Municipality’s ‘own goals’ cause of financial crisis
Irregular expenditure, slow revenue collection, lack of consequence management and abdication of responsibility by senior officials. These are just some of the “own goals” that have landed the Makana Municipality in the financial crisis it finds itself...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
How will you celebrate your freedom?
This Freedom Day, Makhanda is alive with voices, rhythm, and reflection. Join us as we honour the hard-won right to speak, sing, create, and question. Tomorrow (26 April) the Rhodes University Chamber Choir will perform Songs of Freedom and Praise at...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Makhandans unite in cry for justice for Nopopi
An angry and disappointed community of Makhanda will take to the streets next week in pursuit of justice for murdered Ntombizanele “Nopopi” Katiya and her grieving family. Katiya died at Settlers' Hospital after she was severely assaulted “by unknown...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘The one project that kept me alive’
“I used my pension money to start a homestay, and I must say, it has been one project that kept me alive,” these are the words of one of Makana Homestay owners in a successful event held at Tantyi, Makhanda. The local women are taking control of the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Uwongwe ngesidanga UNTSIKI BIKO
“Noxa abantu bendibiza ngoba ndingumfazi kaStephen Biko, ewe ndinguye kakade umfazi wakhe, kodwa andimanga ngaye, nam ndinelam ilifa okanye igama endathi ndazakhela lona.”
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SIZOCULA KUDE KUSE!
Rhodes University’s health suite staged an aerobics marathon to raise funds for the Siniki’themba organisation, to help them buy school shoes for children who cannot afford them. Rhodes students were joined by learners from DSG and the University of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
His words live on.
The literary world has come to a standstill. We are in mourning. A giant has fallen. Athol Fugard, born on 11 June 1932, died on 8 March 2025, leaving a legacy that will echo through the generations. Fugard was a playwright, novelist, actor,...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘Trust your instincts, believe in yourself, be kind to yourself’
In a world where women's potential for leadership is often overlooked, Pam Yako stands as a torch of change. Born in Queenstown, raised in Makhanda, Yako has spent decades as an activist for gender equality and fighting against social and economic...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘We are suffering!’
Hundreds of Makhanda residents and Rhodes University students braved the rain on Wednesday to march on City Hall from opposite ends of the city to protest the ongoing water crisis. They called for the removal of Makana Municipality executive mayor...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Coming up
Keep your eye on our social platforms and on the next edition. We have an exciting announcement concerning an event we’re planning for International Women’s Day on 8 March.
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Next edition
Are you a storyteller? Here at Grocott’s Mail we love reading and hearing stories from Makhandans! So, we have created a place where the storytellers of this town can tell their stories – and where the people of Makhanda can read them or to listen to...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Next edition
February 14th is the day of love! And here at Grocott's Mail we will be celebrating love in all its forms in our next Friday edition. We'd love to hear from you; tell us your love story. We're looking for stories about love in all its forms:...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
WE ARE BACK AND READY TO TELL YOUR STORIES
Twenty twenty-five is a good year for us to thrive – Makhanda, its people and its publication. After our short festive break, we’re back and ready to tell your stories. Here at Grocott’s Mail, we have a few new year’s goals. One of them is to help you...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Grocott’s Mail wishes readers, followers a blessed festive season and prosperous 2025
Grocott’s Mail wishes to thank all our loyal readers and followers for your continued support and extend a warm welcome to our newly-found supporters. To all our readers, and everyone in Makhanda, South Africa and the rest of the world, may you enjoy...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Distinguished Professor Tebello Nyokong uses award winnings to launch scholarship fund
By Rhodes University Division of Communication and Advancement Distinguished Professor Tebello Nyokong marked the launch of the state-of-the-art Tebello Nyokong Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation (Nyokong Institute, in short) in Makhanda by...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hungry Lion among Makhanda establishments shut down in compliance operation
Popular quick service restaurant Hungry Lion on Market Square is one of 12 Makhanda shops that have been shut down by law enforcement officers as part of the ongoing multidisciplinary operation to ensure businesses and spaza shops comply with...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘The real MCF is back,’ say Mxube and co. after reinstatement
A two-year struggle to get their PR councillor jobs in the Makana Municipality council back culminated in victory for five Makana Citizens Front (MCF) councillors unlawfully dismissed in February 2022. Lungile Mxube, Philip Machanick, Kungeka...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Makhanda’s traffic department closed after labour inspectors find building unsafe for workers
The traffic department in Knight Street in Makhanda is currently closed because the Employment and Labour Department prohibited its continued use after inspectors found the building to be unsafe for workers. Labour inspectors this week issued...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
R100m grant to aid Makana Municipality’s smart meter rollout
Troubled Makana Local Municipality has been identified as the only municipality in the Eastern Cape to receive a chunk of the R2bn conditional grant offered by the National Treasury to help capacitate embattled municipalities drowning in debt, to roll...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SIU investigation in Makana Municipality widely welcomed, supported
Makhanda members of civil society, residents, and organisations have this week welcomed and supported the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) investigation into Makana Municipality’s tender processes. This was revealed in a joint statement issued by 16...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Makana Reconstruction Indaba seeks to rebuild community after years of service delivery struggles
Makhanda’s many problems – water and electricity outages, burning dumps, potholes and the generally parlous state of service delivery – are not unique. It is the story of South Africa. That was the message from Derek Light, a civic leader and attorney...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Nomsa Seyisi murder trial gets underway in Makhanda High Court
The Makhanda High Court heard for the first time since the arrest of Nomsa Seyisi on charges of trying to kill her cousin Zukiswa Frans and killing her partner Thembinkosi Wambi last year, how the alleged brutal killing took place from Frans who has...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Grahamstown Anti-Crime leaders cleared of murder charges
A momentous ruling emanated from the Makhanda Magistrate’s Court this week, putting an end to a legal battle that has gripped the local community for months and affording relief to four influential community members, their families and supporters. On...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Amazwi brings Makhandans together to celebrate heritage and culture
“If anything typifies heritage, it’s Amazwi.” So said retired Albany Museum historian and curator Fleur WayJones at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature Heritage Carnival on Tuesday. Grocott’s Mail caught up with Way-Jones as she was leaving...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Makhanda-born filmmaker Twiggy Matiwana nominated for a SAFTA
Ntombozuko Matiwana, affectionately known as Twiggy, is a filmmaker whose roots run deep in the vibrant community of Makhanda. Born and raised in this culturally rich town, Matiwana’s passion for storytelling blossomed early, performing short stories...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Makhandans vent their frustrations at stakeholder engagement session
“Do the honourable thing and resign, because if you can do something about this situation, why are you doing nothing?” These were the words of local lawyer Izak Smuts at the Makana Municipality-hosted stakeholder engagement session at the City Hall on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Makana water crisis: Cogta MEC Zolile Williams intervenes
Eastern Cape MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta), Zolile Williams, is scheduled to arrive in Makhanda today (Friday) as provincial interventions to deal with the town’s crippling water crisis start to kick in. Spokesperson...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Police, gambling board seize unlicensed slot machines, fake products in spaza shop inspection operation
Following a Grocott’s Mail report on illegal gambling slot machines spreading like wildfire in Makhanda spaza shops, Joza police in partnership with the Eastern Cape Gambling Board as well as Border Security police, pounced on several spaza shops on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
No end in sight to Makana water woes
The water crisis in Makhanda appears to be going from bad to worse, with frustrated ratepayers and ordinary residents reporting more frequent water outages while the Makana Municipality is keeping mum. On a daily basis, social media pages are flooded...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
High-profile speakers launch packed Rhodes Leadership Week opener
The Rhodes University Student Representative Council (SRC) kicked off Leadership Week with a bang on 5 August 2024 with an event featuring Miss United Nations 2019, Vinolia Mabele, South African politician Bongani Baloyi, leader of the Xiluva political...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Third wave of Social Employment Fund projects continue to rejuvenate the city
The third phase of the Social Employment Fund (SEF) kicked off on 1 July 2024, again employing thousands of young Makhandans in waste collection and recycling, food security and nutrition, educational support and entrepreneurial development. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rhodes University calls on stakeholders to help address student debt crisis
“It should not be, and it cannot be that an academically deserving young person will be deprived of an opportunity to receive quality and transformative education simply because they happened to have been born into a family of limited means,” said...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Alice woman’s body found in Makhanda after a six-day search
On Wednesday, the burnt remains of Kungawo Nyhweba were discovered by police in an open field near initiation huts in Joza township after a strenuous six-day search for the young Alice woman. On Thursday, her family and Makhanda community members held...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The National Arts Festival is here to stay, despite naysayers publicly casting doubt
The National Arts Festival, South Africa’s longest-running arts festival, is going nowhere, and its 50th edition in the past couple of weeks was a success, CEO Monica Newton said this week. Newton conceded that the National Arts Festival has had its...
Read Full Story (Page 1)